Kategorie: SNOT 2019 Mai/Aug – SNOC und das Baltikum (Seite 4 von 6)

Täglich gibt es viel Deutsch und Englisch zu lernen – und – es ist immer wieder SEHR lustig. Vielleicht vor allem für mich. Weil Moksha aber auch immer wieder soooo süße Dinge sagt. (An meine komischen Wortmischungen können wir uns gerade beide nicht erinnern…).
Lappen ist schon lange eins von Mokshas Lieblingswörtern, vor allem wenn’s um den Rotzlappen geht. Und da sie immer an Umgangssprache interessiert ist, kam vor Kurzem auch der Jammerlappen dazu. Als wir letzte Tage dann in einem Wald einen etwas steileren Weg gingen sagte sie: „Meine Waden Jammerlappen“. Wie cool ist das denn. Ich habe so gelacht, dass alle Elche (vor denen wird hier immer auf Schildern gewarnt) bestimmt so weit weggelaufen sind, dass wir auch auf dieser Wanderung keinen gesehen haben.

Unser Übernachtungsplatz an diesem Abend war wieder an der Küste und zum ersten Mal so schön, dass wir beide sagten, dass wie hier länger bleiben würden. Und – der Sonnenuntergang – WOW. Da wir beide nicht aus dem warmen Bett wollten konnte immer eine aus der Dachluke gucken und die andere das Schauspiel an der Klotür gespiegelt beobachten. Hatte auch was. Sonnenuntergang am Strand hatten wir jetzt schon öfter…

Am nächsten Tag – endlich nach Estland.

The Palace Rundale was indeed very beautiful. It is exactly as one would hope for; expertly restored with period pieces and décor. We felt no need to take many pictures. As with our previous experiences, the people who work there are reticent to talk even when buying your ticket! Nothing is self-explanatory. I got in for free being considered handicapped, which in rather common in Europe for museums and such. However, for Elke it was if she was from another planet. Maybe one day we will find out the reason for this unusual behavior.

We spent last night in the National Park Forrest of Gauja. No more farmland! Nice big, curvy hills and broken castles and a lot of outdoor nature activities everywhere. Between Tomtom (GPS) and Google Maps we found an overnight spot on the fourth attempt. Attempt one: we could never get there! (Perhaps a bridge was out…) We kept driving in long distance circles with neither source giving sound information. Second: no camper vans allowed overnight, which is not what our camper guidebook indicates. Third: closed. Fourth: Bingo! Perfectly quiet spot by a river. The rain lashed loudly all night and at 4:30 am several exuberant hikers (or canoers) arrived and began their outdoor adventure. Evidently our idyllic spot is a popular canoe launch.

We ventured into the town of Cesis for it’s broken Schloss and lunch potential. We tried our hand at finding a specific restaurant mentioned in the camping guide. To no avail. One storekeeper had heard of it but the directions were too nebulous. We did find something to our liking. Because both Elke and I are “special needs” in the food department, eating out is never easy. It seems to be nearly impossible (and this includes Germany too) for most places to add “vegetables” to your order. So far, vegetables keep coming back as salad. Now we think we need to say “cooked vegetables”. Maybe that is the solution. Our young waiter was not so knowledgeable (but he did speak English thankfully) and was only a little genervt (annoyed) with us. At least we avoided having Kebob (gyro meats) again!

An afternoon hike along a river and then into the hills was our final sojourn in Gauja. Just like the people and the road signs, the trail markers were confusing. The initial map looked different at every stop and at every junction, while there was lots of information, none was in English or directionally made sense. What to do. Mushrooms were still found and then eaten for dinner. Lecker success!

Tonight we parked in another dreamy spot overlooking the Baltic Sea. But we’ll probably be asleep before sunset (um 22:20) and miss it yet again. Tomorrow is Estonia. Maybe the end of langweilig (boring) farmland. Or not.

A shout out to Peter F of Delray and Wonne of Hannover

Gerne fahren wir zunächst einmal mal mit dem Van in die Stadt um sie so ein wenig kennen zu lernen. Ich sage dann immer: nur nicht wieder die für „normale Menschen“ verbotene Straße vor dem königlichen Schloss oder so, wie z.B. in Oslo… Für Riga hatten wir sogar ein Ziel: einen Bioladen. Nach dreiundzwanzigmal um die Blocks fahren wegen der Einbahnstraßen und der zu kleinen Parkplätze für das fast 6m Gefährt – fühlte ich mich sehr sicher in der Stadt und erste Stellen kamen uns bekannt vor… Für den nächsten Tag blieb der Van auf dem Campingplatz. Unser beliebte Klassiker für eine neue große Stadt: Hop-on-Hop-off Bus und dann zu Fuß weiter. Das war dann die Altstadt. und vor dem großen Regenschnell in ein Café. Da haben wir ein sehr schönes erwischt – ganz und gar im Jungendstil, scheinbar so wie vor 100 Jahren. Gut 2 Sunden haben wir uns da gefühlt wie auf unserem Sofa.
Vor dem nächsten Regen haben wir uns auf den Weg „nach Hause“ gemacht. Das stand ja auf dem Campingplatz – sehr unspektakulär auf einem Messeparkplatz, ziemlich voll dort, aber Waschmaschine, Strom, Dusche und 3 km von der Altstadt Rigas entfernt – dafür ist dann egal wo wir über Nacht stehen. Und, nicht zu vergessen: WIFI. Wir konnten ganz in Ruhe die „Marcella“-Staffel zu Ende gucken und – WIFI heißt auch laaaaaaaange mit Peter skypen.

Am nächsten morgen haben wir das Zuhause mit in die Stadt genommen. Wir wussten ja jetzt wie parken dort geht und wollten gerne noch die Medizin- und Jugendstil Museen sehen. Das Medizinmuseum war viel größer als wir erwartet haben. Zu Beginn etwas „langweilig“ für uns aber die oberen Etagen – WOW. Z.B. die ersten Transplantationsversuche. Hier wurde ein Teil von einem kleinen Hund auf einen großen operiert. Der Kleine lebte über das Herz-Lungen-System des Großen. Und genau diese Hunde waren hier ausstopft ausgestellt. Ein bewegender Moment für Moksha. Und für mich auch.Den extremen Regen haben wir wieder in einem Café verbracht. Sehr gute Mischung von Drinnen und Draußen sein.

Wir lieben die weite, große, beindruckende Natur. Das hat sich im Moor wieder einmal sehr bestätigt. Und gemeinsam noch einmal die Entstehung eines Hochmoores zu lesen und dann über die Stege durch dieses doch irgendwie unheimliche Stück Natur zu laufen – toll! Und das Grün – also „die Grüne“. Als wir von der Tour über die Holzstege zum Auto zurückkamen waren wir froh, unsere Wanderung schon ganz früh begonnen zu haben. Weil jetzt – uwei Stunden später, waren ganz viele Menschen unterwegs…

June 27, 2019

The first day: After a harrowing morning of madly packing the van, an unplanned Skpe call and (stupidly) attempting to finish watching “Marcella” ( a Netflix Thriller Series), Elke skillfully got us on the road. What was supposed to be a 2.5 hour trip to the Ferry in Kiehl, Germany had suddenly become 4+ hours. (And no, we didn’t manage to finish watching season 1.) Only her fortitude got us there before final call for loading – just in the nick of time. While not the very last vehicle on the boat, we were the last for that level. It was all a bit confusing The workers were not so friendly, nor did they necessarily speak German (forget about English). Once on board, it didn’t get any better. However, one employee was kind enough to let us inspect a cabin before booking, a last minute decision after viewing the not-so-deluxe lounging chair room. (I ‘smell’ the amount of molds/perfumes/cleaners before making a decision.) The first one was a definite no. The second – success! With a window no less. Wahoo! $160 Euros later, we frozenly rocked to sleep (or not) in what we later figured out was the only handicapped accessible cabin on the ship. Nice big bathroom too. Typical S.N.O.T. good fortune.

We chose this years travel destination for a number of reasons. I said to Elke “Let’s go some place this time where we don’t speak the language”. She showed me an old tour book of the Baltic States. I said “Yes! I have always wondered about them.” Elke put the plan into action and our trip was born.

The final push (preparations) for ‘Baltikum 2019 Tour’ wasn’t easy. Elke’s body was in rough shape the week before. The campervan resides in Leonburg, Germany. We have to go get it and it is a long day’s drive. Our drive back to Hannover was also very long due to fluctuating road construction on one of the then hottest days of the year. It had no working A.C. We spent the night in a little town called Hammelburg, safely tucked away with a bunch of other campers in a municipal lot, after much searching spontaneously on the Internet. Then Elke couldn’t sleep. (We would get used to both the mattress and sleeping so close side by side later.) But as I walked to the public toilet in the middle of the night, the stars overhead moved me. Our trip had truly begun.

Now, 9 days into our trip, it finally happens; stomach trouble. Only not so bad. I awaken at 3 am and spend the next 3 hours disengaging every abdominal muscle from every other thus opening up the breathing cycle. Relief. It could have been a lot worse (and it was two weeks before. But fortunately we were in Hannover then.) But I begin to wonder if visiting the Baltikum for 3 weeks is really worth it. Living in a campervan has it merits and difficulties. It is not for the feint hearted. (Perhaps another post later.) Thus far, the local people are either shy or avoiding contact with strangers. Someone offered the theory of Latvia being occupied by foreign nations so many times that the last invasion by the Soviets left a mark. Fortunately, the younger generation learns mandatory English in school and do respond if spoken to first, although not always freely offering information. As for the drivers in Latvia, well, they leave a lot to be admired – their reckless driving skills and lack of road etiquette motly. So many big, expensive cars here too! And for what reason? No muddy ranches, no steep hills and no boulder-strewn paths. Granted, I don’t know what winter is like and most of the county’s roads are unpaved. (The ruts are horrendous and real car killers in my opinion. Maybe that is why we don’t see any old car, not even any rusting in backyards.)

Perhaps I will change my mind tomorrow. Today it is raining, a lot. It has been raining all night. It is also colder than we anticipated. While we did prepare for this possibility, it doesn’t negate the endless inland farmland, which is of no particular interest to either of us. I loved visiting the bog, the blueberries in the seemingly endless forest paths and the buildings and cafes of the big city of Riga. Climbing the old Soviet Radio Telescope tower and viewing the barracks was great fun too. Ports are always interesting and the coastline can be breathtaking albeit after a while a lighthouse is a lighthouse is a lighthouse with a few small boats thrown in for good measure. Today we plan to visit the ‘must see’ castle in Rundale. I’ll let you know how it went later.

A shout out to Eric B of Hartford and Amana S of Ashville!